So You Have Been Asked To Take Christmas Leave?
It’s that time of year where many businesses close down due to the Christmas and New Years period. Over the temporary closed period employers may reasonably request their workers to take annual leave (paid or unpaid) during this period due to operational requirements.
Individuals have personal preferences on how they utilise their accrued annual leave, and may not view this as favourable. You may not have seen it at first, but this is the perfect opportunity to take time off and recharge your batteries in preparation for the New Year. When life has given you lemons….why not make a lemon meringue pie!
The Perfect Time for Recharging your Batteries
It can be hard to get into relaxation mode when you’re off from work during the holiday season. However, it’s crucial that you do.
For your mental health, productivity, and overall happiness, you should try and use as much as your time off as you can to recharge your batteries.
After a long year, you may have become consumed, run down or stressed out and not even realised. We’re here to tell you why you should make the most out of the leave period, and provide you some tips to optimise your relaxation time!
You’ll Be Totally Prepared For The New Year
A new year of work can mean new coworkers, new opportunities, and new obstacles to overcome. You want to be at the top of your game and fully prepared for everything the year has to offer, so taking your self-care time is essential.
Taking advantage of your time off work is known to increase your productivity, your ability to focus, and helps you overall with finding a successful and healthy work/life balance.
Finding that balance will make work far more pleasant for you going into the new year, and you deserve it!
Time to Unwind? Here’s How:
For some people, going into relaxation mode is easier said than done. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of five things to do that may help you unwind during your time off!
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Sleep, Sleep, Sleep: The holidays are a great time to catch up on sleep. Even if you’re busy spending time with friends and family, be sure to consciously try and get 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
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Spend Time Outside: There are very few things quite as rejuvenating as spending time in nature. This could be a short walk outside, sitting on a park bench, or going for a peaceful afternoon drive with a nice view. Spending even a little time out in nature every day can make a massive difference to your state of mind.
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Enjoy Your Favourite Hobbies: A great way to spend your free time is to let yourself enjoy your favourite hobbies that you may have less time for during the workweek. Play the piano, go rockclimbing or knit your heart out; do whatever makes you happy!
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Find Relaxing Scents: This may seem a bit cliche, but scents such as lavender and peppermint are known to promote feelings of relaxation. You can try using a special candle, a body wash, or an oil diffuser.
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Prioritise Yourself: Overall, you should be making yourself a priority. Your holiday break is meant to be for relaxing, and not having to think or worry about work. So whether it’s a face mask, a jog outside, or anything else you love to do, remember to practice self-care this December.
Wishing you a very safe and Merry Christmas and all the best heading in to 2020. From Team Tecside.
Sources:
- (https://psychcentral.com/blog/20-ways-to-relax-unwind/)
- (https://thriveglobal.com/stories/5-reasons-why-taking-time-off-work-is-good-for-you/